noughties

/ˈnɔːtiz/

//ˈnɔːtiz// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"noughties" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“noughties” is uncommon English (frequency #91,868 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,868
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-noughties · noughties · English

noughties · rank #91,868 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,868
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Norvell

Nearest frequency peer: Norvell (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “noughties”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “noughties” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for noughties
PropertyValue
Headwordnoughties
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɔːtiz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#91,868
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “noughties” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).noughtiesfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Norvell” (#91,867), “nor'easter” (#91,866), “nookie” (#91,865). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “noughties” is #91,868. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

noughties is uncommon English at frequency #91,868 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnɔːtiz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for noughties in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nought (“zero”) + -ies (“plural of -y”), in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc). The correct English form is noughties, spelled N-O-U-G-H-T-I-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how noughties appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Our readers — and contributors — are apt to elect a good deal according to years. The seventies and eighties, we may suppose, are concerned for the large educational and cultural interests of their Alma Mater; the nineties are deep in the practical and business activities; the noughties are not naughty, but still young enough to sport a fantastic costume…
  2. I doubt if any modern poet can boast of as loud acclaim or as liberal reward as Longfellow received for Evangeline or Tennyson for the Idylls, but his fate today is somewhat kinder than that of Poe or Whitman, and much gentler than the stony dole dealt out to poets in the nineties and noughties.

Etymology

From nought (“zero”) + -ies (“plural of -y”), in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc).

Synonyms

the 2000sthe 1900sthe aughtsoughtsthe zeroesZeroesthe '00s

This word in other languages

Nullerjahre(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "noughties"?
"noughties" is spelled N-O-U-G-H-T-I-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɔːtiz/.
What does "noughties" mean?
As a noun, "noughties" means: The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.
How do you pronounce "noughties"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "noughties" is /ˈnɔːtiz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "noughties"?
From nought (“zero”) + -ies (“plural of -y”), in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "noughties", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nursemaid#91,873noiseless#91,862octopussy#91,877neisseria#91,851

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list